CE 59700 – Advanced Testing and Sensing Tech for CE

Credits and contact hours:

  • 3 credits
  • Lecture meets 150 minutes per week for 15 weeks

Specific course information:

  • Catalog description: This course will introduce students to the field of nanomaterials synthesis and characterizations with a special emphasis on energy harvesting and infrastructure sensing/monitoring. It integrates the fields of materials science, civil engineering and electrical engineering. The basic concepts will be discussed including: nano-scale effect, process-structure-property relationship, charge transport mechanisms, characterization of nanostructures. Advanced materials/device fabrications topics will be studied including processing methods from gas, vapor and solid phases. Scalability of nano- manufacturing will be discussed in this section. Nanomaterials properties, processing methods and devices will be discussed with regards to specific applications ranging from thermoelectric to piezoelectric and their applications in energy harvesting and infrastructure sensing. Hands-on lab will be provided to students enrolled in the course including materials growth and characterization. Upon completion, students are expected to understand the fundamental concept, process and applications regarding to nanomaterials and nanotechnology. Students should be able to design effective nanostructures and processing methods for energy related applications in civil infrastructures. Five major course topics are:
    • Fundamentals of Nanomaterials and their Properties
    • Thermoelectricity for Energy Harvesting
    • Piezoelectricity for Energy Harvesting
    • Nanotechnology for Infrastructure Sensing
    • Nanotechnology for Infrastructure Monitoring
  • Prerequisites: CE231 – Engineering Materials I & II or by the instructor’s consent
  • Course status: 

Specific Goals for the course:

  • Student learning outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course the student shall be able to:
    • be familiar with terminology and basic concepts of nanomaterials, nanomanufacturing and nanotechnologies
    • understand basic properties of nanomaterials including: mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical and magnetic properties and their characterization techniques
    • understand basic knowledge of carrier transport mechanism including electron, phonon and photon transport in nanoscales
    • understand underlying mechanisms of thermoelectricity, state-of-the-art thermoelectric materials, devices and their applications
    • understand fundamental knowledge of piezoelectricity, state-of-the-art piezoelectric materials, devices and their applications
    • understand working mechanisms of various infrastructure sensing and monitoring technologies, their applications and limitations
  •  Relationship of course to program outcomes
    • Outcome 1: An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics.

Topics:

  • Nanomaterials and Nanostructures
  • Properties of Nanomaterials
  • Nanomaterials Synthesis
  • Nanomaterials Characterizations
  • Fundamentals of Thermoelectricity
  • Stat-of-arts Thermoelectric Materials
  • TE Device Design and Fabrications
  • TE applications
  • Fundamentals of Piezoelectricity
  • Piezoelectric Materials Characterization
  • Piezoelectric applications
  • Ultra-sound & Fiber Optics Sensing
  • Piezoelectric Based Sensing/Monitoring